SC - A Barley recipe

[Jessica Tiffin]

Charles Ragnar wrote:

>There is one in British Museum Cookbook - Amyndoun Seaw which I 
>frequently make as a barley dish:
>Barley, milk, saffron, parsnips, carrots, spices, fruit, stew it all up. 
>(More or less)

I have another barley recipe which I found on the web - it claims to be from
the British Museum Cookbook and to be 7th century English, and entails
cooking up chicken pieces with leeks and barley and herbs.  It's actually
one of my favourite medieval dishes - has that slightly vinegary flavour.
Wonderful.  But I don't have the original British Museum Cookbook, and would
love to know the original source of the recipe - anyone?  Sounds
substantially pre any of the standard sources - the BM presumably has secret
stashes of ancient manuscripts.

(Having been accused of being a spoon tease before in this forum, I herewith
include the recipe, lest I incur the wrath of the Cathedral and be forced to
flee for the rock :>)

Hare, Rabbit, Veal or Chicken Stew with Herbs & Barley

Serves 6

In 7th century England, herbs were one of the few flavourings available to
cooks and were used heavily...

   * 50g (2oz) butter
   * 1 -1.5kg (2-3 lb) (depending on the amount of bone) of hare or rabbit
   * joints, stewing veal or chicken joints
   * 450g (1lb) washed and trimmed leeks, thickly sliced
   * 4 cloves garlic, chopped finely
   * 175 g (6 oz) pot barley
   * 900 mL (30 fl oz, 3 3/4 cups) water
   * 3 generous tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
   * 2 bay leaves, salt, pepper
   * 15 fresh, roughly chopped sage leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried sage

Melt the butter in a heavy pan and fry the meat with the leeks and garlic
till the vegetables are slightly softened and the meat lightly browned. Add
the barley, water, vinegar, bay leaves and seasoning. bring the pot to the
boil, cover it and simmer gently for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or till the meat is
really tender and ready to fall from the bone. Add the sage and continue to
cook for several minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste and serve in
bowls-- the barley will serve as a vegetable.

I'd include the URL for the original site, but I can't remember where it
was.  Definitely not the Miscellany, but perhaps one of those links on the
Ren Food page.

Now I'm drooling slightly.  Oh, well.

Melisant


**********
Jessica Tiffin
melesine at ilink.nis.za  *  jessica at beattie.uct.ac.za
***********
Getting an education was a bit like a communicable sexual disease.  It made
you unsuitable for a lot of jobs and then you had the urge to pass it on.
(Terry Pratchett, Hogfather).

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